Chapter 12 The Truth I still have some people who can escort you out of Chang’an…

Chapter 12: The Truth

I still have some contacts who can get you out of Chang'an...

The common belief is that when Chang'an was breached, King Chu Jiang Huai and Emperor Liangping were burned to death in the palace. Now, with enough details, Jiang Congyan boldly speculates—it was Jiang Huai's revenge.

He risked everything, willing to die in the flames to kill the one who took his wife and child, leaving him alone. By then, he had lost his only daughter too, with nothing left to lose, he was ready to go all the way.

I wish to haunt you as a vengeful spirit and take your life!

Jiang Huai stared at her, his mouth twitching, his face a mix of laughter and tears, his eyes wet as he tilted his head back, tears streaming down his temples.

"Hahaha!"

"Hahaha..."

His bitter laughter echoed through the empty attic, stirring waves of sorrow.

Jiang Congyan quietly watched him, letting him get it all out. After a long pause, she asked, "Father, can you tell me what really happened back then?"

Jiang Huai's gaze hardened, and she added, "This will decide my next steps."

She had her suspicions but wanted to confirm them herself, to be sure that person was her enemy.

He never wanted to drag his daughter into the dangerous politics, just wishing for her to grow up safe and sound. But looking into her eyes, he saw a calm yet unyielding resolve, clearly not ready to back down.

After a long silence, he closed his eyes and revealed the secret he'd kept for over a decade.

It all began with Taizu's death twenty-eight years ago.

Back then, my father died suddenly, Taizu's old injuries flared up, and his health worsened. Liang had just settled its internal issues, but the Xiongnu, Qiang Di, and Xianbei were watching us from the borders. The biggest fear was a young ruler in a shaky position, so Taizu handed the throne to the previous emperor. This is true; Taizu himself had the edict announced before the court.

Jiang Congyan nodded, this matched her knowledge, but she asked, "Was Crown Prince Zhaowen's death an accident?"

Jiang Huai looked down, his eyelids flickering, "I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"Yes, Taizu looked into it. My father was checking the South River for Taizu when he caught a plague and died. Years later, I had it investigated again, but after so long, the people and events had changed too much, so nothing turned up."

Jiang Congyan kept her emotions in check and listened on.

Taizu gave the throne to the previous emperor but worried I, being young and vulnerable, couldn't protect myself, so he recalled the marriage pact with the Marquis of Liangzhou. Your grandfather and my father were sworn friends. Seeing the situation, he didn't hesitate to send your mother to Chang'an to marry me. She was just ten then, and had to face Chang'an's dangers with me.

But this is precisely what made the previous emperor wary of me. To this day, I'm not sure if Taizu's move to ally with Liangzhou through marriage saved me or doomed me!

"But later, it truly caused the death of your mother!" Jiang Huai said, tears flowing again, his voice filled with extreme sorrow and despair.

He and Zhang Yiniang were a couple who had endured hardships together in their youth, going through the toughest times, their bond deep. She died because of him, becoming an eternal pain in his heart. Every time he thought of her, it felt like his heart was being carved out again.

Taizu, in order to preserve the bloodline of Crown Prince Zhaowen, specifically made the Zhang family his support, but because of this, Jiang Huai was feared by the previous emperor and the current emperor.

Taizu was a man of great talent and strategy. Could he not know the hidden dangers of this? He knew, but the situation at that time for Taizu was such that there was no perfect solution in the world.

If he hadn't done this back then, whether Jiang Huai could have lived to this day is still unknown. Perhaps he could have, or perhaps, he would have died early due to an "accident." No one knows what would have happened on the path not taken.

"Seventeen years ago, as the late emperor's health began to fail, court ministers proposed the appointment of a crown prince. Suddenly, someone suggested that I should be the one, claiming I was the true heir of Taizu. Rumors even circulated that Taizu had left me an edict, stating that upon the late emperor's demise, I should produce this edict to claim the throne—"

At this point, Jiang Congyan noticed a bitter smile cross Jiang Huai's face, followed by a tone that turned frantic.

"But I never had that edict!"

Each word was laced with sorrow.

A strange, choked laugh escaped his throat, as if his emotions had reached a peak and he had lost control over his body.

He spoke faster, "I never wanted to seize the throne. I just wanted to live a quiet life with Yiniang. Because of these unfounded rumors, I became a thorn in the side of the current emperor. I had to make an excuse to take Yiniang, who was seven months pregnant, to Yongming Temple outside Chang'an to escape trouble. After staying there for half a month, Yiniang suddenly fell ill. I figured it was because the temple was too cold for her, so I prepared to return to the city to fetch a doctor. But on the way, we were attacked by bandits."

"The guards fought fiercely and finally broke through, but your mother was jolted in the carriage, causing complications. She ultimately died in childbirth, giving birth to you and your brother!"

Jiang Congyan could almost imagine the tense atmosphere of the court back then, no longer just the illusion of swords and shadows, but a bloody history written in lives and blood.

"It was him!" Jiang Congyan said, her tone certain.

Jiang Huai nodded heavily, his eyes already reddened.

He clenched his fist, "I have suffered so much, never involving myself in court affairs all these years, yet he still wouldn't let me go."

"I have already lost Yiniang, I cannot lose my two children as well. I have been humble and submissive at every turn, just pleading for a way for the three of us to survive. I never thought about the throne, I didn't even dare to think about avenging Yiniang. All I wanted was for my children to grow up safely, but even this small plea was denied. With just one sentence, 'The son of the King of Chu resembles the crown prince,' he rekindled his murderous intent."

Jiang Congyan couldn't bear to listen any longer.

Jiang Huai must have been completely desperate back then, losing his wife and seven-year-old child, all because of him.

"You both fell into the water in winter, your brother died young because of it, and you were also on the brink of death."

"I no longer dared to keep you in Chang'an."

Shun'an, which means obedience and peace, was also a hope for her to be safe and sound.

So Jiang Congyan was sent to Liangzhou after recovering from her illness for half a year, and Jiang Huai began to pretend madness to deceive the emperor.

A dream of life, lost in a drunken haze for ten years.

He made himself completely useless, disappointing all the court officials, making everyone despise him so much that no one would ever support him, just to keep the emperor at ease.

"Have you ever thought of rebelling?" Jiang Congyan asked hoarsely, her gaze cautious.

Jiang Huai froze instantly. He lifted his neck, blinked slowly, and then stared intently into her clear eyes, uttering two words firmly, "I have!"

He had once been so filled with hatred that he wanted to destroy everything in the world, why should he suffer so much? Why could his enemies sit high and stable on the throne?

Why!

Why!

"But I couldn't! Even the Zhang family wouldn't!" Jiang Huai collapsed, all his energy drained.

Jiang Congyan looked at him in shock, already understanding his meaning.

If he and the Zhang family were to join forces in rebellion, Liang would inevitably erupt into civil war, and the surrounding nomadic tribes would take the opportunity to invade.

Foreign invasion, and the displacement of the people.

They couldn't drag the entire nation into war for the sake of personal vengeance!

Therefore, both Jiang Huai and the Zhang family could only endure, hiding in the darkness, seeking a sliver of light from the heavens.

And this sliver of light would have to wait until five years later, the day when Chang'an City fell. At the same time, the towering inferno also marked the end of his life.

Father and daughter fell silent once more.

After calming his emotions, Jiang Huai wiped his face with his sleeve and finally brought up the matter of the marriage alliance again—a political union that was weighing heavily on their minds.

For Jiang Congyan, his daughter, he felt deeply indebted. She was his only hope left in this world, the last trace of Yiniang’s lineage. No matter what happened, he had to protect her.

"Chang Shengnu."

He suddenly used her childhood name, catching Jiang Congyan off guard, and then she heard him say, "If you are unwilling to marry Tuo Baxiao, then return to Liangzhou. I still have some connections who can get you out of Chang'an."